Moroccan

Baked Moroccan Potato Fries with a Yogurt Dipping Sauce

February 23, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

I have found myself taken with the flavor of Moroccan seasonings for a while now and I’m always trying to figure out new ways to use them. Since I regularly make my Moroccan chicken I try to mix things up a bit with side dishes. This time I tried a Moroccan style french fry with a yogurt dipping sauce. The fries were so good and had just the right amount of crispiness on the outside. Baked potato fries are a lot healthier than regular french fries as they are simply tossed in olive oil and roasted in an oven. I sprinkled a little ginger on them along with a little harissa chili paste which brought a nice heat to them. Then I drizzled honey and lemon over the fries and baked them for an hour or so. This allows the inside to get tender while its baking at a lower temperature. The secret to getting a good crispy outside is to broil the fries for about 10 minutes at the very end. The broiling process helps caramelize the outside and evaporates any extra lemon juice on the pan. The dipping sauce was the perfect accompaniment to cool down this spicy and sweet Moroccan side dish.

…

Moroccan Yogurt and Dill Dip

February 22, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

Recently I made some sweet and spicy Moroccan potato fries and I wanted something to offset the spiciness of that dish. I came up with a cooling yogurt dip with dill and anise seed. Do not be fooled by its similar appearance to ranch dressing. It’s closer in flavor to the Greek tzatziki than ranch dressing. The combination of dill and anise almost give it a minty taste that is very refreshing. This dip cooled down the spicy fries very well, and I’m sure I will be using this recipe again on other Moroccan dishes!

…

Moroccan Roasted Sweet Potatoes

January 30, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

Whenever I make Roasted Moroccan Chicken I roast russet potatoes in some spicy Harissa paste and honey for a side dish. This time I had some nice sweet potatoes in the refrigerator so I thought I would try them with the Moroccan dish instead. I figured the additional sweetness of the potato would balance nicely with the chili paste. It turns out I was right as the balance of the sweet potato and the spicy chilies were a really good combination! I love contrasting flavors in general and this definitely had that going for it. I simply tossed the sweet potato pieces in olive oil and spread the chili paste over the potatoes along with a couple dashes of coriander and cinnamon. I used just a touch of honey to bring out the flavors of the sweet potato. This side dish was the perfect accompaniment for the chicken and a great pop of color on the plate.

…

Moroccan Roasted Carrots and Beets

January 27, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

One of my favorite main courses is the recipe for roasted Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemons. I am always thinking of new sides to go with the spicy and savory flavors of this dish. I had some beets in the refrigerator and I thought a warm roasted vegetable salad would be a great accompaniment to the main course. I was not let down as the warm beets and carrots were so good with the chicken! The carrots, onions, and beets are simply tossed in oil and seasoned with Moroccan spices and baked in the oven. The earthy vegetables went very well with the spicy and sweet seasonings so I will definitely be making this again.
…

Roasted Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemons

October 24, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

This is one of those recipes I make every 2-3 weeks because I can’t stop making it. I actually get cravings for the preserved lemons that taste just like lemon candy. This recipe is so tasty due to all the layers of flavor that come from the curry spice blend, preserved lemon, and Harissa (a Moroccan red chili paste.) Since the chicken is marinated overnight and roasted in the oven for several hours the chicken always turns out tender and juicy. For side dishes, I like to pair the chicken with Moroccan roasted potatoes and curried orange couscous.

…

Roasted Moroccan Potatoes

October 23, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

Since I already tried Moroccan couscous I thought it would be nice to try something different. I decided on roasted potatoes and they turned out very nicely. They went great with the Roasted Moroccan chicken and had very good flavor. The honey mellows and contrasts with the spicy harissa and lemon juice. The honey also caramelizes the potatoes and the result is a crispy, golden outside. The only downside is that honey has the tendency of sticking to the pan so use a generous amount of olive oil and turn the potatoes every 12-15 minutes or so. To get the potatoes extra crispy on the outside I sometimes turn the oven to the broil setting the last 3 minutes of baking.

…

Moroccan Couscous with Figs, Dates, and Apricots

October 13, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

Couscous is a tasty dish that is a great accompaniment to proteins like lamb, chicken, and beef. What makes couscous great is its versatility. You can pretty much add anything to it and make it your own. Couscous is great spicy or sweet but I prefer a little bit of both to give it a good balance. This recipe is sweet from the fruit and has just the right amount of heat that comes from the aromatic spices. This may not be quite traditional, but I like couscous to be a little more saucy and not so dry. It all depends on how much liquid goes into the pot so reducing the amount of beef stock by 1/2 cup would do the trick. Since couscous only takes a few minutes to cook, I steamed the dried fruit separately to soften before I added it to the couscous.

…

Moroccan Lentil Soup with Preserved Lemon and Quinoa

March 26, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

It’s been raining a lot lately and I wanted to make something nice and warm from the slow cooker. One of my favorite recipes has been the Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemons and I wanted to see if those flavors could translate into a stew. I figured red lentils and chickpeas would go well with the curry flavors of the dish, and it ended up being really good. The soup was pretty thick from the quinoa and needed extra chicken stock throughout cooking. I will probably be adding more later since the lentils and quinoa will keep on absorbing the liquid. This recipe makes a big batch so I will have a lot of leftovers (which won’t be a problem at all).

…

Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon and Olives

January 8, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

I have been wanting to try a Moroccan dish for a while now. A tagine is a type of ceramic dish used to cook a lot of Moroccan food. The idea of cooking with olives, harissa and preserved lemons was very intriguing because I had never tried anything like it. It took a while to make this dish because I had to preserve my own lemons. This recipe takes some effort to prepare but it is worth your time. Although it does look like the kitchen sink in terms of spices they all worked so well together and created a really unique dish. I do not own a tagine so I used a saute pan instead and it turned out fine. I would salt sparingly because the olives and lemons are already pretty salty. I paired this recipe with some Moroccan Couscous and it was very good together!

…

Moroccan Couscous

January 8, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

I never really liked couscous as a kid. It always tasted really bland and just didn’t look as appetizing as rice or pasta. This couscous, however, tasted great and was super easy to make. It was spicy and sweet and made a good side for the Moroccan tagine I made today.

…